Stewart wins Geico 400

Preserves enough fuel to take opener of 10-race Chase for the Sprint Cup

September 19, 2011|By Jack McCarthy, Special to the Tribune

Tony Stewart had more than enough fuel to finish this time.

A year after running out of gas and faltering in NASCAR's Chase for the Sprint Cup opener in New Hampshire, Stewart cruised toward Victory Lane after edging Kevin Harvick in Monday's Geico 400 at Chicagoland Speedway.

"At the very end we knew the fuel mileage was going to be an issue," said Darian Grubb, Stewart's crew chief. "But Tony is one of the best at saving fuel. We tried to keep him updated ... and make sure we had enough to make it to the end."

As other drivers lost fuel gambles and faded, Stewart crossed the finish line for his first Sprint Cup series win of the season.

"I'm just glad I saved as much as I did and had a good enough car to get us there," Stewart said.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. was third, his best series performance in 14 races, while eight Chase racers finished among the top 10 in the 43-car field.

The kickoff to the 10-race Chase for the Sprint Cup was originally scheduled for Sunday but was postponed due to persistent rain. Monday's race was conducted under cloudy but dry conditions.

Stewart's victory was the 40th of his career, third at Chicagoland and first since Oct. 10, 2010, at California's Auto Club Speedway.

Stewart was second behind Martin Truex Jr. with 15 laps to go. But Truex didn't pit with the other leaders 36 laps earlier and paid the price when his fuel ran out and he pulled off the oval.

"We had to pit," Truex said. "We did not feel confident enough that we could save enough fuel to make it."

Others in the final sprint — pole leader Matt Kenseth, five-time defending champion Jimmie Johnson and Ryan Newman — all faded as gas dwindled. Kenseth said he was forced to let Stewart take the lead so he could save fuel.

"We still ran out with a half a lap or a lap to go," he said. "It's pretty aggravating to do all the work and qualifying and pit stops and adjustments, but none of it makes a difference."

In last year's Chase for the Sprint Cup race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Stewart's tank hit empty with two laps to go after holding a lead. He lost the chance to win and took a huge hit in the point standings.

On Monday, Stewart took the lead for good on the 253rd lap of the 267-lap race and faced a juggling act to stay in front while also monitoring fuel consumption.

"Once we got a second-and-a-half, 2-second lead we could start backing off to their (trailing drivers') pace and start saving fuel," said Stewart, who started in the middle of the pack after qualifying with the 26th-fastest time.

Harvick, who came in sharing the Sprint Cup points lead with Kyle Busch, took over sole possession with 2,054 points, while Stewart vaulted into second with 2,047. Kyle Busch is now ninth, while Jeff Gordon, who finished 24th, fell from third to 11th. Johnson, who came in 10th, dropped two spots to eighth.

Harvick smiled when asked about Stewart calling himself a non-Chase contender last week.

"That's pretty funny," Harvick said. "He ran strong all day and drove from the back to the front and led the race and won the race."

Earnhardt shook off difficulties in the middle of the race and made a successful final push.

"The car was a bit of a struggle in the middle part of the race, but in that last run we were one of the best cars on the track," he said. "We had a good car and were just real smart all weekend."

Monday's race drew a surprisingly large crowd estimated at 42,000. More than 72,000 were projected for Sunday's postponed race.

The Chase now shifts to Sunday's Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway track.